


Something Understood

by CBlue



Series: Confess It Softly (Proclaim It Loudly) [1]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Captain of the Guard Dean, M/M, Magic Student Sam, Magic User Castiel, Naomi is a Bitch and No One Is Surprised, Retired Captain of the Guard Bobby
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-03
Updated: 2019-03-03
Packaged: 2019-11-08 11:46:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,931
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17980730
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CBlue/pseuds/CBlue
Summary: Dean grinned and took a seat next to Castiel, patting the beaded sweat from his forehead with a towel. "What'cha readin'?" Dean asked curiously as he peered over Castiel's shoulder."Our next lesson." Castiel flashed the cover of the book - titled 'Strange Brews with Honeydews' - before returning his eyes to its pages. "Samuel wished to start alchemy based magic, and I thought it important to brush up on it."Nodding, Dean leaned back so he laid beside Castiel's sitting form. "He's catchin' on quick, isn't he?" He asked idly as he watched the soft clouds casually roll above them. This is what the true peace that the people of Lawrence had spoke of. This soft moment of tranquility that captivated Dean and allowed the tension to ease from his shoulders.------It's not something that happens suddenly, and it's not even something that's truly started. Or perhaps it has started, but its start has just begun.





	Something Understood

Long ago, in the kingdom of Lawrence, there was war. But now the war has passed and there is peace. Peace and prosperity spreads throughout the land in sunlight and full crops. No longer do the people of Lawrence struggle with their grain and fight against iron fists, but now that King Charles the First has been reinstated to his throne, the land flows with milk and honey. Never before has the grass been so green nor the sky so blue.

The bright shine of the kingdom shone through the smiles of its people. None so much as the bright smile on Sir Dean of Winchester. Finally reunited with his family, and his title returned to him, Dean of Winchester now stood as the Captain of King Charles guard. Although he had been reluctant to take on the mantle that formerly belonged to his mentor Sir Robert of Singer, his little brother Samuel had convinced him to take the reward granted to him by King Charles in return for helping dethrone King Charles' eldest son Lucifer.

Whatever the reason, Dean now found himself surrounded by his loved ones and living happily ever after. Everything had sounded as if it had come from some child's story. Well, all except one thing. Dean had yet to get the charming young prince to fall in love with him. Mind you, Dean would never try anything or speak of the feelings that the youngest child of King Charles stirred in him, and he would only ever entertain those dreamlike fantasies in the dead of night. Castiel, King Charles' youngest and favorite son, had helped Dean and his brother with defeating Lucifer's tyrannical rule.

It was not easy, but Dean wouldn't trade any piece of it. They had fought against and with each other and in the end, Dean would bleed and die for Castiel, and it was not because he was a Prince of Lawrence. To add insult to the ever growing wound that festered from these unwanted emotions, Castiel was the Crowned Prince of Lawrence. King Charles' only heir that had not sought to overthrow him, nor run off with foreign Queens in even more foreign lands. Even if Dean spoke up about his want for Castiel, the prince could never do anything about it. He was needed to marry well and produce offspring and heir, to continue the line.

Pining is what Samuel called it. Dean told him to shut his mouth. It would have been bearable, had Samuel not taken to studying under Castiel. Castiel was one of the finest magic users in all of Lawrence if not all the realms. It was an honor for Samuel to be taught under him. Samuel took to Castiel's tutelage like a fish to water. Samuel's mastery of the arts grew, and Dean found himself spending more time with both of them outside of war. It was different than what he had been used to. It was calmer, softer. It made both despair and hope grow and twist in his chest. Castiel's private smiles were Dean's secret treasures. He kept them and hoarded them like the fierce dragon Crowley.

It would even have been manageable had it not been filled with moments like this. Dean, sweating and recently finished training with his knights, and Castiel patient and waiting for him. Castiel sat off to the side, absorbed in some arcane book. Dean's eyes warned to him quite frequently before the training had ended. Dismissing his knights, Dean made his way to Castiel.

"Hey, Cas." Dean had taken to the nickname long ago. Before he even knew of Castiel's lineage to the King, when he was but a young magic user that had saved Dean from unspeakable horror at the hands of devilish familiars.

Castiel turned away from his book, smiling brightly at Dean. His eyes shone in the midday sun and nearly stole Dean's breath. "Hello, Dean."

Dean grinned and took a seat next to Castiel, patting the beaded sweat from his forehead with a towel. "What'cha readin'?" Dean asked curiously as he peered over Castiel's shoulder.

"Our next lesson." Castiel flashed the cover of the book - titled 'Strange Brews with Honeydews' - before returning his eyes to its pages. "Samuel wished to start alchemy based magic, and I thought it important to brush up on it."

Nodding, Dean leaned back so he laid beside Castiel's sitting form. "He's catchin' on quick, isn't he?" He asked idly as he watched the soft clouds casually roll above them. This is what the true peace that the people of Lawrence had spoke of. This soft moment of tranquility that captivated Dean and allowed the tension to ease from his shoulders.

"Yes." Dean could hear Castiel's tone of pride. "Soon he will outmatch any magic user to have ever lived." Castiel chuckled lightly. "I was I had been as skilled as he when I was his age."

Something cold settles into Dean's bones, and it isn't a refreshing cold. It chills him as he slowly sits up. "Cas, you can't blame yourself for that." He spoke gently, despite his wishes to never speak of the instance again. Despite never wanting to speak of anything so raw to these unruly emotions he had. "Naomi used Black Magic. There isn't any fighting that unless it's with a blade."

Castiel's eyes, usually brighter than a spring day's sky, stormed over with the memories that flowed through him. Clearly, despite it being so many seasons ago, almost years, it was fresh in his mind. "I should have been stronger. My magic should have repelled her." Dean watched as he fought to keep his eyes firm to his book's pages. "....I should have been stronger." He finally spoke again, softer this time.

"Cas," Dean begins again, "you were strong. You broke free of her spell." He pleaded with his friend again. "And the sooner you stop blaming yourself, the sooner you can get back to your full power."

They both knew Castiel held himself back, fear of falling into Black Magic like Naomi had forced him into. That couldn't have been the worse of it according to either of them. Dean remembered it vividly still. Castiel's powerful palm held out to Dean, nothing alike his usual personality in his eyes. Cold, dead eyes stared at him as he kneeled against a stone floor. The eyes of Naomi's perfect soldier, only shattered by Dean's words, allowing Castiel to break through.

A small smile, still broken from all the horrors Naomi forced onto Castiel's mind but healing too, spread across Castiel's face gently. "Thank you, Dean." He muttered softly. "Thank you for believing in me. Even when I haven't deserved it."

Dean scoffed a laugh as he reclined back to lay against the soft grass. "Just returning the favor, Cas." He said softly as he closed his eyes. Dean had only ever closed his eyes, allowed himself this vulnerability, between his brother, Sir Robert, and Castiel.

Dean could hear Castiel hum, though he had no idea what the sentiment meant. He gave a half shrug as he inhaled deeply, allowing himself the comfort of the cool midday as he enjoyed Castiel's silent company. An hour had passed when Castiel stirred Dean awake from his half-sleep. Castiel's eyes twinkled with mirth as he looked down at him.

"I believe we have business to attend to?" Castiel's words teased as he stood, looking down at Dean.

Giving a soft groan, Dean stood. He stretched his arms high above his head before turning to grin at Castiel again. "Well, we better not keep him waiting." Dean began to move forward, slowing his steps until Castiel fell in stride with him. Their walk was a silent one. Castiel reading as he walked, and Dean silently guiding him with a small hand in the crook of his back. It was an intimate touch, far more intimate than Dean should be allowed, but a familiar and welcomed one nonetheless.

Once they had reached the library, Dean had moved in front of Castiel, opening the large door for him. He gave a mock bow that drew an eyeroll from the prince, but he could see the jest had the intended effect when Castiel struggled to keep a straight face. Waiting for them at one of the tables was Samuel. His longer hair was drawn back from his face in a messy sort of style that somehow fit him. It made him appear more youthful, as if the horrors the Winchester Brothers had had to face had never happened, had never been dreamt of.

Samuel looked up from his books, blinking to focus on the two. He smirked knowingly as Dean followed closely behind Castiel. "Are you joining us again today?" Samuel teased at Dean.

Dean rolled his eyes as he pulled up a chair a bit away from the table that Samuel sat hunched over at. "Someone has to make sure you two don't blow the library up."

Castiel huffed at the insinuation, but took his place seated next to Samuel without a word. He placed the book he had been reading in front of Samuel and the lesson had started. Three more hours had passed this way, Castiel and Samuel speaking in depth about things that Dean could never quite understand, but he would nod anyway. Watching Castiel speak with his younger brother, soft and intimate in a way that reminded Dean of his surrogate father helping him practice his sword techniques, bloomed that ever-growing burn that resided in his chest. Dean would be consumed by this fire one day, but with all the fires that he has walked through, he is certain this will be the most pleasurable one. Even if nothing is to come of it. He's certain nothing is to come of it.

When the daylight had run low from the library's window, Samuel and Castiel had blinked the sleep away from their eyes enough to bid one another goodnight and arrange for their next lesson. Dean smiled softly, turning his head to shield the gesture, before standing. Samuel hugged Castiel, something that would be highly irregular had it not been for the shared bond between the two, and gave his brother a pat on the shoulder before heading out of the library for the evening.

Dean turned his attention back to Castiel. "Shall I escort you to your room?" He mocked a stuffier tone, stiffing his upper lip.

Castiel laughed brightly, eyes crinkled and head thrown back with humor. When his eyes, tired but bright, struck Dean's own he nodded. "If his lordship doesn't mind."

"I'm not a lord." Dean scoffed, waving Castiel's returned jest off.

"Not yet." Castiel seemed to remind Dean of his father's favor for the Winchester Brothers all the time. He moved to stand next to Dean. "One day you'll be gifted a lordship and you'll retire into the countryside."

Dean smirked as he strode closer to Castiel. "Oh, yeah? You got a place in mind?"

Castiel hummed, making a show of thinking it over. "Lebanon." He nodded as if pleased with himself. "The land is beautiful, and would make a great place for his lordship." Castiel stepped closer to Dean, leaving no space between them as he always seemed to do. The youngest prince knew nothing of the propriety of one's own space. Perhaps it was his sheltered childhood, or an innocent disposition.

Scoffing a soft laugh, Dean grinned. "And what would I do with a lordship?" He hadn't meant the tease to fall from his lips so softly, but Castiel's close proximity always did that to his words as if his presence held a unique magic that eased Dean's hardened heart.

"You would eat whatever you want." Castiel started earnestly, startling a loud laugh from Dean. "You could ride Impala any time you want." He continued undeterred by the humor Dean found in his words. "Find someone," The prince's words softened to a whisper and Dean found the laughter had died in his throat, "fall in love. Get married." He turned his eyes that had fallen to the floor somewhere during their conversation back to Dean. "You could be happy."

Dean swallowed harshly. He felt now that it was some unspoken test, or perhaps he stood at the precipice of something enormous. It stared him down more fiercely than the Crow King had, or even his mirrored reflection from the spell that Lucifer had cast. Finding his breath, Dean finally whispered. "I'm happy here."

Castiel's eyes widened, taking in the fading sun in the background and causing them to glow in an almost ethereal way. "Truly?" He whispered back, as if anything louder would break whatever was happening. Not that anything was happening. It couldn't be happening.

"Yes." Dean spoke in just as much earnest as Castiel had. He found himself answering without hesitation. "I am happiest here with those I-" he cut himself off, unable to utter the word that had choked and haunted him in equal measure throughout his life. "I care about." He remedied, hoping that he conveyed every answer and reassurance that Castiel was looking for. This couldn't happen. It couldn't ever happen. But damn the consequences, Castiel had to know that Dean would never leave his side. Not if he was given the choice.

It was small and almost magical, as much as Dean hated comparing things to magic. It paused his heart in its beating. Castiel's lips quivered before slowly with growing certainty spread into a soft smile. Castiel's smiles, his true smiles that the Heaven Court would never see, always tugged at his eyes. "I'm glad." His voice sounded rough and raw, grinding its way through Dean's being in its steadiness.

"I'm-" Dean cleared his throat from the crack in his voice, "I'm glad too." He finished with a gentle smile. His eyes subconsciously tracked the movement of Castiel's tongue wetting his cracked lips. Why the Crowned Prince had lips in such poor condition, Dean would never know. He would only know why he had noticed their condition, and he would never admit it to a soul.

Castiel's hand, soft yet calloused, trailed gently against Dean's own as it hung at his side. Castiel admired Dean's hand with such a reverence that Dean fought not to shiver. His fingers ghosted Against Dean's rough hand so softly that it felt almost like a dream. The Prince smiled shyly as he looked up at Dean through his eyelashes. "If..." Castiel started softly, "if you ever wanted to though..."

Dean nodded, licking at his own lips as he stared at Castiel with such an intensity that Dean wasn't sure which one of them would alight with fire. "I don't." He repeated, more firmly.

Something in Dean's words shifted Castiel. He lifted his chin, staring Dean straight in the eye. His smile softened, easing out of his eyes as he withdrew his hand. Something odd and undecipherable formed in Castiel's eyes. "Good." He said again in a whisper that stole Dean's will ounce by terrifying ounce. "I would understand though if-" His words were cut off by Dean's own.

"Dammit, Cas! I don't want to leave." His brow furrowed. "Do-" Dean's eyes widened as he tried to put together the pieces of why Castiel had been so adamant about this. "Do you want me to leave?" He asked and he cursed how small his voice sounded.

Castiel's eyes widened and for the first time since Naomi, or whatever else had terrorized them, he saw genuine fear in Castiel's eyes. "No!" The Prince shouted far too loudly for the library. "No." He remedied in a softer voice. "I want you to stay. Please."

Dean hadn't expected that. He always knew it was unspoken. That the both of them had always wanted the other to stay, despite destiny and fate constantly weaving them apart. Never had the words been spoken between them, and never had Dean imagined them to be spoken in such soft veneration. Again, Dean swallowed the thick emotion that had built against his throat.

He nodded, silent and unable to speak. Not only did Castiel leave him breathless, it seemed that on occasion that Castiel could steal his words away. Leaving only things that could damn him and leave him empty if he were to utter too much. Castiel nodded in silence, and the quiet loomed over both of them comfortably. Something like understanding, something like confirmation that Dean hadn't known he was seeking, burned into his soul. It didn't make words come easy, but perhaps it be rid the need for words. Perhaps this could never be. This would never happen.

But damn, if Dean didn't want it more than anything. And for the first time since his heart murmured these treacherous thoughts, he thought maybe - just maybe - Castiel wanted it too.

Lifting his arm for the Prince to take, Castiel gently placed his hands in the crook of Dean's elbow. In his dreams he could pretend he was escorting him to a fancy ball, or they were two normal people courting with his surrogate father following close behind. But for now he would enjoy this moment as silence enraptured him like the setting sun and warmed him like a summer night. Because Castiel's small smile that he averted from Dean's gaze was not a dream, and the soft kiss that Dean had allowed himself to graze across Castiel's knuckles in parting had not been a dream.

And whether it was a dream or not, the blush to grace Castiel's cheeks was for him and him alone.

**Author's Note:**

> I have not written in the Supernatural fandom since I was like 15 years old. I have not even really watched it heavily since like Pre-Purgatory. But Scoobynatural is my favorite and I can't believe the 200th episode actually happened and wasn't a Crack!Fic. This was fun to write though! I hope you enjoyed it and I hope to be able to write more in this universe! ^^ Thank you for reading!


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